Monday, September 28, 2009

I was thrilled to learn that Saveur.com has included both Farmgirl Fare and In My Kitchen Garden on its list of Sites We Love. I've been reading Saveur magazine, which focuses on exploring the world of authentic food, since the very first issue came out, so this is an especially nice honor for me. And of course I love that the cover of the current issue says 'Why Lamb Rules' in big bold letters! (Through September, both new and renewal Saveur subscriptions are only $14.95 at amazon.com.)

Readers often ask me if we eat the any of the grass-fed lambs we raise, and the answer is yes. Not only is the all natural meat incredibly delicious, but I also love knowing that the animals who become my food lived happy, healthy, stress-free (and dare I say spoiled?) lives. You'll find several of my favorite lamb recipes here.

One of these days I really will get around to writing up that Frequently Asked Farmgirl Questions page, but in the meantime, Amy Thompson asked me all sorts of questions during this interview for her wonderful MamaViews series on Progressive Pioneer. (Technically I'm not a mother, but I suppose that raising dozens of animals grants me honorary mama status. And of course there's my baby Cary.) The interview even includes a couple of photos you've never seen before: Amy, one of my favorite ewes, with her newborn triplets in 2007, and me with the donkeys out in the front field.

Reading Amy's What is a Progressive Pioneer? essay brought tears to my eyes, and I'm very proud to be one. I think many of you will really enjoy her lovely site, where she writes about everything from urban chicken farming and unschooling to bee keeping and natural family living.

Tomatoes and basil on the third day of fall? You bet. The calendar may say summer is over, but the kitchen garden keeps to its own schedule, and mine says that tomato season is finally (finally!) in nearly full swing. The beautiful green and purple basil I've been picking since the end of June is still going gangbusters, too.

There's no better—or simpler—way to celebrate your garden fresh tomatoes and basil than to toss them with hot pasta, but adding this quick sun-dried tomato and artichoke pesto to the mix brings the dish to a whole other level.

I've made this with larger tomatoes chopped into chunks, but cherry tomatoes really work best. A mixture of red and yellow looks especially nice. I like to make this with fettuccine or farfalle (because bowties are always so much fun), but other pasta shapes would probably be good, too.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Auntie Rose isn't the only one around here who's surprised by the sudden change of scenery. One minute my hunky farmguy was saying we really need to rebuild the sheep barn before it falls apart even more, I said, "It's not that bad yet, is it?" then idly wondered aloud if maybe our Amish carpenter neighbors (whose front yard produce stand has been supplementing our kitchen garden bounty) would be interested in taking on the job, and the next thing I knew measuring was under way, dates had been set, a guy from the electric company arrived to disconnect the power down there and put a new breaker box on the pole, we ordered a whole bunch of rough cut siding from the nearby Amish sawmill, large piles of money were handed over to the lumberyard and metal roofing manufacturer, a horse and buggy pulled up, and our beloved little sheep barn had been flattened (except for the rock walled feed room which we're saving).

"I've practically gobbled up half this cookie batter already. Talking to you is the only way I'm going to stop eating it!"

This batter really is good—and the baked cookies are even better. While I adore a good butter cookie—and am constantly amazed by the number of bad butter cookies out there—I've never been much of a shortbread fan. And maybe it's just me, but shortbread recipes often seem rather fussy.

This batter comes together in less time than it takes the oven to heat up, and there's no patting anything into a pan or making decorative designs with a fork.

These cute little cookies are a like scrumptious cross between butter cookies and shortbread, combining the best qualities of each. They go well with mugs of hot coffee or cold glasses of milk, would make a dainty addition to an afternoon tea tray, and travel well so they're perfect for toting to picnics and potlucks.

I usually make my cookies extra large, but after doing some experimenting, I've decided that these taste best when small. I also applied my More, More, More philosophy, upping the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits, but ultimately reduced the amount called for in the original version. That way you taste more of the buttery cookie.

Like most shortbreads, these will keep for several days (which makes them a wonderful choice for holiday goodie boxes mailed to faraway loved ones), and I think they taste better the day after baking. They also freeze beautifully. Pack them in little cello bags tied with a colorful ribbon for handy gifts, perhaps tucked into oversized cappuccino cups. Everyone loves them.

I have no idea if they're good warm from the oven, because by the time they've finished baking I'm always way too full of batter to want one.

The original recipe has you shape dozens of spoonfuls of dough into tiny balls and then press them lightly onto the baking sheet to flatten the bottoms. I don't have that kind of patience, so I just use a little scoop instead.

I also skipped the part where you dip half of each cookie in melted chocolate because I've never been able to do that without making a big mess, plus my chocolate never seems to completely dry. If you want a fancier looking cookie you might try it, though I think they're perfectly fine without.

I'm a sucker for any recipe that calls for English toffee bits, but these would also be good made with all mini chocolate chips or mini chips and finely chopped pecans. And for shortbread purists, I bet they'd be very nice without anything extra added at all.

With a hand held electric mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla, and then add the flour and salt. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits.

With a small scoop (I use this one that's 1¼" across), drop cookies onto a heavy duty baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. (I love my half-size commercial rimmed baking sheets and have been using some of them for 20 years, for everything from baking lemon scones to roasting Brussels sprouts. Two dozen of these cookies will fit on one sheet, so the whole batch will bake on two trays. Unbleached parchment paper is wonderful stuff, and you can reuse each sheet several times.)

Bake until the edges are just starting to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container or freeze.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

We have something like 16 different kinds of turtles and tortoises here in Missouri, and as long as they're not anywhere near my strawberry bed (turtles LOVE strawberries), I really enjoy finding them around the farm.

Whenever I take the time to inspect these little prehistoric creatures, the more I realize just how truly fascinating they are.

I probably should have relocated it far away from my strawberry plants, but since this year's berry harvest was already over, and next year's is many months away (too bad, as all this strawberry talk now has me desperately craving a big bowl of this—though if you grow strawberries, the time to ensure bigger berries next spring is now, and here's how) I decided to let it stay in the garden.

I'll no doubt be sorry next spring. And yes, I washed my hands really well after touching this turtle.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

"We all see what's happening with agriculture, what's happening to our small towns. They are going out of business. That's a direct result of the farm problem. We're still doing Farm Aid because it is contributing. It's doing a job."—John Mellencamp

Woohoo! Can you believe it? The Farm Aid 2009 fundraising concert is going to be in Missouri!

What is Farm Aid?Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land. Over the past 24 years, Farm Aid has raised nearly $36 million dollars to support programs that help farmers thrive, create and strengthen connections between farmers and eaters, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture, and promote food from family farms.

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family-farmed food.

Want to get involved? Find out how you can take action here, become a Farm Aid member here, learn more about the Farm Aid community here, connect to the land and each other at Homegrown.org, or follow Farm Aid on Twitter here.

What is Farm Aid 2009?The Farm Aid concert is a chance to celebrate the strength and importance of America's family farms. It features the best that music has to offer, while remaining true to Farm Aid's ultimate mission. This year's concert will take place on October 4th in St. Louis, Missouri, and the incredible lineup includes Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz, Wilco, Jamey Johnson, and Phosphorescent.

Farm Aid will also be setting up their Homegrown Village, where concertgoers can get their hands dirty and learn about food production, growing your own, composting, how farmers care for the environment, beekeeping, etc. In addition, there will be other farm related events.

We're looking for photos of farms, farmers and farm families, tractors and barns, the perfect tomatoes you bought at the farmers' market or your favorite farm animals—anything and everything that shows the vibrancy and beauty of the American family farm.

Anyone can enter photos and/or vote on their favorites. Each tax-deductible $1 donation ($5 minimum) buys you one vote, with all the monies going directly to Farm Aid. This fundraising contest is about supporting and celebrating farmily farmers, and the person whose photo receives the most votes will win an expenses-paid trip to St. Louis and two front row tickets to Farm Aid 2009 Presented by Horizon Organic. There are lots of other prizes, too.

And why am I especially excited about Farm Aid 2009?Because I'm going to be there! If all goes according to plan, on Sunday October 4th, I'll be wandering the streets of Homegrown Village, listening to some of my very favorite musical artists, enjoying ridiculously delicious Missouri grown food, and doing a little live blogging for the Farm Aid website (the entire concert will be broadcast live through their webcast).

I can't wait. (As fate would have it, my hunky farmguy Joe has to be somewhere else that weekend, so please send mental messages to Mother Nature and all our critters begging them to behave so we'll both actually be able to leave the farm for a couple of days!)

Are Farm Aid 2009 tickets still available?Yes! You can purchase tickets here and see the seating chart here.

“There's a new food movement sweeping the country and Farm Aid is doing all we can to promote that movement.”